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As an apartment building dweller in the heart of an urban area (New York City), it has come to my attention that there is no device available to the general consumer that enables the control of air quality issuing from indoor air ducts which commonly terminate at register grilles opening directly into inhabited space. When I refer to xe2x80x9cair ductsxe2x80x9d I am referring to both ducting for forced air circulation systems, and the interior ducts present in buildings without forced air circulation systems.
This lack of quality control of air issuing from interior ducts creates a range of environmental issues. They may be summarized as follows:
i. Health risks. Inanimate particulate matter, as well as myriad allergens, fungus, and bacteria can collect and grow within ducting, which may then be expelled into the inhabited space causing a health risk to those who aspirate them. Vermin may also live within ducts and enter inhabited spaces through the vent openings. Both of these risks increase in buildings where the ducts are not regularly serviced (vacuumed and disinfected) and in older buildings. Health consequences may include increased incidence of asthma (increasingly common in urban areas) and other allergic conditions, as well as occurrences of disease caused by certain airborne pathogens and/or vermin.
ii. Quality of life issues. These are consequences that, while possibly not dangerous, affect the quality of the environment in the inhabited space into which air vents open. Daily expulsion of significant amounts of particulate matter at vent openings require frequent, sometimes daily, cleaning, and may create situations where walls need to be repainted more frequently than normal. Other quality life of issues include odor control (since air ducts may carry odors from one space into another) and noise control (since air ducts may carry and amplify sound from one space into another).
These health risks and quality of life complaints may be minimized by the installation of an appropriate filter (or multiple filters) at duct termination points, without significantly compromising the air circulation of the building. In order for these advantages to be easily available to the consumer, the filter(s) are inserted into a frame that may be quickly be attached to the outside of the existing vent opening (register grille) by means of magnetic backing. Access to the filter(s) for replacement or cleaning purposes is accomplished by means of a pull-out front grate which snaps into place behind the front edge of the filter frame.
It is likely that this invention falls under Classification ID 052 (Static Structuresxe2x80x94Buildings), possibly in Subclass 218 (xe2x80x9cstructures . . . having means of directing a gaseous fluid (air or other gas) therein to or there fromxe2x80x9d rooms in buildings), and Subclass 49 (Movable or Removable Closures). DIG. 4 is also pertinent as it addresses xe2x80x9cmagnetic means for building components.xe2x80x9d
I am unaware of any invention that marries magnetic means to air duct filters or frame housings. I am aware of the availability of magnetically installed storm windows (available in kit form see the periodical xe2x80x9cFine Homebuilding,xe2x80x9d #94). There is also a U.S. Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,310) for a grill/filter mounting assembly designed to replace a register grille specifically for forced air duct termination points, with the possible inclusion of a filter and a possible scent dispenser. I am also aware of a WIPO patent (WO9930087) for a vent filter screen treated with various oils to filter and medicate the air issuing from the vent. Neither of these patents employs either magnetic means of installation or the filter housing assembly described below.
The Easy-Attach Air-Duct Filter Frame is a filter housing designed to fit over existing register grilles at the termination points of air ducts into interior inhabitable spaces without significantly impeding the air circulation in the ducts. The device is designed for use in buildings either with or without forced air circulation systems.
The device is easily installed by the consumer by means of magnetic backing. It is easily maintained by means of quick access to filters for cleaning and replacement through a simple pull-out front grate. Both installation and maintenance can be performed by most ordinary consumers, without the necessity of retaining a contractor for those purposes.
When one or more filters are inserted into the device, it improves the quality of air entering the inhabitable space from the air duct. When used in conjunction with the appropriate filters, the device therefore contributes to the reduction of health risks by reducing the presence of airborne matter that may promote disease and by reducing the ability of vermin to enter the inhabited space at the duct termination point; the device also may improve environmental quality by reducing odors, noise, and airborne dirt.